Week 39.1 - The fashion sustainability week in review

Brands in this issue include: Burberry (unsold inventory strategy), Farfetch (PETA buys shares to push for a fur ban), H&M (announces progress on living wages, but then criticised by CCC; and an interview with head of water sustainability), Loro Piana (cashmere joint venture in China), Primark (extends sustainable cotton program to Pakistan), The North Face (extends sustainably produced wool clothing), and more.

Loro Piana announces cashmere JV in China’s Inner Mongolia: “The Italian luxury cashmere brand Loro Piana, which is owned by the luxury conglomerate LVMH, has announced development of a cashmere farm in China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Fabio D’Angelantonio, CEO of Loro Piana, said the company has signed an agreement with the Chinese government and a third-party firm to establish a joint venture in the region. The new farm is expected to supply the brand with high-quality cashmere” (21 Sep – in Chinese).

Primark extends sustainable cotton sourcing programme to Pakistan: “Primark has worked with established agricultural experts, CottonConnect, alongside local NGO REEDS (the Rural Education and Economic Development Society), to introduce the programme into Pakistan. An additional 20,000 farmers have been enrolled in the programme in Pakistan” (21 Sep).

PETA buys shares in Farfetch: “Online retailer @farfetch which sells fur made from fox, coyotes, & more was just listed on the #NYSE. PETA became one of its FIRST shareholders! We’ll have the opportunity to attend #Farfetch’s annual meetings and DEMAND it ban cruel fur sales!” (21 Sep).

The North Face expands range of sustainably produced wool clothing: “The North Face hopes its commitment to expanding the range of the label’s Cali Wool collection this year “will help raise awareness of how consumers can support climate action by purchasing products made with regenerative methods.” Cali Wool is sustainably produced wool that the company introduced last year” (21 Sep).

Inside Italy’s shadow economy: “Within a distressed labor market, thousands of low-paid home workers create luxury garments without contracts or insurance … She stitched carefully at a sophisticated woolen coat, the sort of style that will sell for 800 to 2,000 euros ($935 to $2,340) when it arrives in stores this month as part of the fall and winter collection of MaxMara, the Italian luxury fashion brand. But the woman, who asked not to be named for fear that she could lose her livelihood, receives just €1 from the factory that employs her for each meter of fabric she completes.” (20 Sep). [Ed’s note: long piece from the NYT, which also references Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci, Kering, Louis Vuitton, Tod’s, Euroshoes, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Abiti Puliti (the Italian arm of Clean Clothes Campaign). See also, Camera della Moda Responds to New York Times Article: “Italy’s fashion association issued an official statement in the face of accusations of irregular working conditions in the country” (22 Sep).]

An interview with Shariful Hoque, responsible for water sustainability in global production for H&M: “In this conversation … Sharif Hoque describes the particular challenges of water stewardship in the textile industry, examples of positive impacts that have come from H&M’s water sustainability philosophy, the corporate and shareholder case for proactive engagement with best water stewardship practice, the corporation’s collaboration with WWF, and the importance of water stewardship initiatives “beyond the factory fence”” (20 Sep).

Gender Equality in Social Auditing Guidance: “To help companies address [the status and wellbeing of women in supply chains], BSR—with support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs—is pleased to launch guidance that identifies the main improvements required for gender-sensitive social auditing and provides recommendations, practical advice, and relevant examples on how to effectively integrate gender considerations into audits. This new Gender Equality in Social Auditing Guidance is based on and complements the Gender Equality in Codes of Conduct Guidancepublished in 2017” (24 Sep).

Myanmar and Turkey added to US labour exploitation list: “The US Department of Labor (DoL) has added Myanmar and Turkey to the list of foreign-made apparel and footwear that it has reason to believe are produced by either child or forced labour in violation of international standards” (21 Sep).

The Price of Fast Fashion: “We are consuming fashion at a rate never before seen on our planet. 100 billion garments are manufactured every year and the fashion industry continually tempts us to buy more with new ranges in the shops. But this so-called fast fashion is taking a toll on the environment. Clothes production can cause pollution and uses lots of precious natural resources, as well as creating mountains of waste that go to landfill. So what, if anything, is the fashion industry doing about this? Fashion lover Assefeh Barrat follows every stage of the production process - from cotton growers in the USA, to factory owners in Turkey and designers in the West to see who is leading the way in reducing fashion’s environmental impact. And she asks consumers if they are really willing to change their fast fashion habits” (21 Sep – 45-minute video; available only in the UK).

Demo for drinking water in Gazipur: “Several thousand Readymade Garment (RMG) workers have vowed to continue fight for pure drinking water in all factories across the country. Thousands of co-workers demonstrated to show their sympathy to 60 sick employees, who were admitted to hospitals and clinics after drinking contaminated water in last two days. All the workers from nearby factories joined the Newtex Factory workers and blocked. After few minutes, the demonstrators began chanting slogans for salaries (till August), arrear dues and safety measurement, they said” (24 Sep).

Outrageous new minimum wage announced in Bangladesh: “In a climate of fear and intimidation and after months of delays, Bangladeshi authorities have announced the new monthly minimum wage of 8,000 taka (USD 95) for the 4.5 million workers in the garment sector in Bangladesh. This amount shows complete disregard for legitimate workers’ unions and for the need to set wages through social dialogue” (21 Sep). [Ed’s note: from Clean Clothes Campaign.]

Pros and cons of wage hike for apparel workers in Bangladesh: “The government has announced Tk 8,000 as minimum monthly wage, up from existing Tk 5,300, for the country’s readymade garment workers amid protests from labour groups demanding higher pays. Both the factory owners and labour rights groups have expressed their dissatisfaction over the wage although the owners’ and workers’ representatives to the minimum wage board are said to have agreed on the amount” (21 Sep).

Minimum Wage: RMG workers’ countrywide demo Sept 21: “Garment workers will demonstrate in their factory areas across the country on September 21, protesting the recent announcement of Tk 8,000 as their minimum wage and demanding doubling of the amount to Tk 16,000” (20 Sep). [Ed’s note: I could find no follow up reports on any such protest.]

Board, workers at loggerheads: “Union leaders and members of a government-formed board which declared Tk 8,000 as the minimum monthly wage for garment workers are at loggerheads over the amount” (20 Sep).

Push for canteens at all garment factories: “The Land Management Ministry has complied with an order made by Prime Minister Hun Sen for factories to provide adequate places for garment workers to eat” (21 Sep).

Garment factory workers protest against piece work: “Over 300 women employees of a private garment factory in the Peenya industrial area are staging a protest against their management for forcing them to take up piece work instead of a steady monthly salary” (21 Sep).

PPG scientist receives top honor from American Chemical Society: “Dr. Shanti Swarup, PPG senior scientist, coatings research and development, polymer synthesis, was named the recipient of the 2019 National Award in Applied Polymer Science, administered by the American Chemical Society (ACS) … Swarup has made key contributions that have helped create many commercial products with higher performance, less environmental impact or lower cost than prior generations of products” (19 Sep).

Rise of sustainable fashion highlights the importance of custom fabric labelling: “Los Angeles-based fabric label manufacturer [Hi-Tech Printing & Labeling Inc.] notes that a large part of increasing environmental awareness comes from providing eye-catching and easy to read labeling so that consumers gravitate towards brands and designers that make sustainable products. By educating consumers about the care and content of garments, fabric labels are essential for brands and designers to incorporate in their products so that consumers make smarter purchases” (19 Sep).

01 – 02 October, Toronto: Wear Conference: “WEAR [provides a] forum to share examples of both local and global leadership, best practices and innovative solutions with the North American apparel and textile industry.”

18 – 19 October, Milan: 5th Bluesign Conference: “TraceAbility. NetworkAbility. TransformAbility. Stitching the blue way together … gathering of all the Bluesign system partners and broader sustainability community for an opportunity to exchange ideas.”

15 November, London: Leather & Sustainability in Retail Conference 2018: “Join BLC, ILM and leather industry professionals at this year’s half-day leather sustainability conference which covers sustainability and innovation around raw materials for leather, uses for waste materials within the leather value chain and circular economy. The conference will also be considering new materials coming to market and look at transparency and traceability of production within existing processes.”

Disclaimer: The Fashion Sustainability Week in Review (FSWIR) is a twice-weekly roundup of sustainability news items relevant to the fashion, apparel, textile and related industries. The views and opinions expressed in the FSWIR by individual authors and/or media outlets cited do not necessarily reflect the position of GoBlu International or any individual associated with the company.